Architect Frank Gehry Named Judge Widney Professor at USC

Architect Frank Gehry Named Judge Widney Professor at USC

Frank Gehry, who is among the world's most prominent and innovative architects, has been named the Judge Widney Professor of Architecture by USC President C. L. Max Nikias.

Gehry's faculty appointment will be in the USC School of Architecture, from which he earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1954.

"I am very honored to be given this prestigious appointment," Gehry said. "USC was an important part of my early life. When I was a USC student, my professors gave me excellent preparation for my career. I carry with me today many life lessons learned at 'SC."

Winner of several of the field's most significant awards, Gehry has designed distinctive museums, concert halls, offices, homes and other public and private buildings across the globe and throughout California. Among his most iconic works are the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Completed in 2004, many consider Disney Hall, with its whimsically curved stainless steel exterior, to be the city's most important contemporary structure.

Gehry has several projects currently in the design or construction phase, including the Guggenheim Museum in Abu Dhabi, the Foundation Louis Vuitton Museum in Paris and Beekman Residential Tower in New York City, which will be his first high-rise building to be completed. His numerous awards include the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in Architecture, the Pritzker Prize and the National Medal of Arts. He also has received many honorary degrees, including one from USC.